A variety of chemical products are used to treat water treatment systems such as cooling towers, boilers, closed loop systems, etc. The chemical products include corrosion inhibitors, such as polymers for preventing the deposition of phosphates, molybdates, sulfite etc.; semi-sludge conditioners to prevent the formation of sludge in such systems; and detergent formulations.
In present day water treatment technology, liquid products containing one or more components are manufactured and then shipped in containers such as drums, to the end users. The process is labor and material intensive requiring the shipment of heavy drums which must be disposed of once the chemical product is used.
To overcome some of these problems, manufacturers have produced dry pellets of chemical products to ship to end users for use in the water system. However, the pellets must dissolve at a more or less controlled rate, depending on water flow, chemistry and temperature and thus uneven distribution of product often occurs. Typically, the active chemical, which is added as a single component and needed for a water system, is useful at a parts per million level which is difficult to control in such low concentration. Furthermore, the physical dimension and weight requirements for a chemical product to be introduced in a water system for a multiday supply can be excessive and difficult to manage. Finally, the end user may physically come in contact with the concentrated chemical when it is introduced into the water system.